Extension & Outreach

Training Hispanic students and farmers from Latin America.

Grape grower monitoring for grape root borer

Grape grower monitoring for grape root borer.

Oscar E. Liburd, Entomology and Nematology - Extension Appt. 25%

Program Area (To enhance and maintain agricultural food systems)

Team Member (Fruits and Vegetables)

On-farm demonstration trials to compare the effects of reduced-risk and conventional insecticides for controlling key insect pests in blueberries

     Five insecticide trials were conducted on growers’ farms during the 05 blueberry season. Three trials were located in Florida; Haines City, Sebring, and Windsor and two were located in Georgia; Alma and Social Circle. The target pests were flower thrips, blueberry gall midge, cranberry fruitworm and blueberry maggot. Growers were able to compare the results obtained from using reduced-risk insecticides with that of conventional broad-spectrum insecticides. The results were measured in terms of yield and pest suppression. The recommendations from our trials were published in the southeastern management guide for blueberries. A similar publication will be published shortly for Florida blueberry growers.

On-farm demonstration trials to investigate the effects of reduced-risk insecticides for controlling blackberry insect pests

     One insecticide trial was conducted in Alachua County on a grower blackberry farm. The target pests were blackberry budmites and flower thrips. Traditionally, the grower has experienced high loses due to blackberry budmites and flower thrips and the grower has more or less adopted a ‘do nothing’ strategy. The goal was to demonstrate to the grower that these pests could be controlled by using reduced-risk insecticides. We were able to control these pests throughout the season during the summer 05.

2007 Extension Presentations

Liburd, O. E. 2007. Results from biological control studies of twospotted spider mites using predatory mites. Biological control workshop. Florida Horticultural Society, Palm Beach FL.

Liburd, O. E. 2007. IPM in small fruits focusing on blueberries.  12 March, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI.

Liburd, O. E. 2007. Control of occasional insect pests in organic blueberries. Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 5-6. Savannah, Georgia.

Liburd, O. E. 2007. Management of flea beetles in southern Highbush and Rabbiteye blueberries. Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 5-6. Savannah, Georgia.

2006 Extension Presentations

Liburd, O. E. 2006. Ecological management of insects on organic farms. Organic field day. September 19, Citra, Florida.

Liburd, O. E. 2006. Integrated pest management (IPM) in small fruits focusing on strawberries and grapes. Florida A & M University Research Seminar. October17. Tallahassee, Florida

Liburd, O. E. 2006. Management of thrips and gall midge. New Jersey Annual Vegetable meeting. January 10-12., Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Liburd, O. E. 2006. Thrips and blueberry gall midge control. Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 5-6. Savannah, Georgia.

2005 Extension Presentations

Liburd, O.E. 2005. Grape Root Borer management. Florida Grape Growers Association. Ocala, Florida.

Liburd, O. E. and H. A. Arevalo. 2005. Dispersion behavior and injury caused by flower thrips in early season blueberries. Florida Blueberry Growers Association Fall Meeting. Bartow, Florida.

Liburd, O.E. 2005. Update on blueberry insect pest management. Spring Blueberry Field Day. Windsor, Florida.

Liburd, O.E. 2005. Dispersion behavior and injury caused by flower thrips in early season blueberries. Tifton, GA.

Liburd, O.E. 2005. Toxicity of insecticide-treated spheres to Caribbean Fruit Fly, Anastrepha suspensa and Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Florida State Horticultural Society. Tampa, Florida.

Elena Rhodes. 2005. Comparison of single and combination treatments of P. persimilis, N. californicus, and acramite for control of twospotted spider mite in Florida strawberries. ESA, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

H. Alejandro Arevalo. 2005. Damage description and economic injury level for Frankliniella bispinosa (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) infesting rabbiteye blueberries. ESA, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Craig Roubos. 2005. Controlling cranberry tipworm (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in rabbiteye blueberries: evaluating reduced-risk insecticides and susceptibility of selected cultivars. ESA, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Oscar E. Liburd. 2005. Evaluation of sampling techniques for monitoring blueberry gallmidge and flower thrips in Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush blueberries in the southern United States. ESA, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

H. Alejandro Arevalo. 2005. Dispersal behavior of flower-thrips in highbush and rabbiteye blueberry fields. FES. Ft. Myers, Florida.

Craig Roubos. 2005. Susceptibility of selected rabbiteye blueberry varieties to cranberry tipworm (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) attack and effectiveness of reduced-risk insecticides for control. FES. Ft. Myers, Florida.

Crystal Kelts. 2005. Developing IPM techniques for sap beetle pests of strawberries. FES. Ft. Myers, Florida.

Elena Rhodes. 2005. Controlling twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) in Florida with single and combination treatments of Phytoseiulus persimilis, Neoseiulus californicus, and Acramite. Ft. Myers, Florida.

Booth Display

Oscar E. Liburd, E. Rhodes and J.C. Turner. 2005. Biocontrol & Pest Booth. FAMU, Tallahassee, Florida.

Papers and Presentations

	Arevalo, H. A., A. B. Fraulo, and O. E. Liburd. 2006. Key to the Most Common Species of Thrips Found in Early-Season Blueberry Fields in Florida and Southern Georgia. EDIS. UF/IFAS ENY-836/IN679 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Click Here)
	Liburd, O. E., Erin M. Sarzynski, Blair J. Sampson and Gerard Krewer. 2006. Blueberry Gall Midge: A Major Insect Pest of Blueberries in the Southeastern United States. EDIS. UF/IFAS ENY-825/IN458 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Click Here)
	Liburd, O. E., and H. A. Arevalo. 2005. Integrated strategies for controlling flower thrips in southern highbush blueberries. EDIS. UF/IFAS IPM-140/IN637 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Click Here)
	Rhodes, E. M., and O. E. Liburd. 2005. Predatory mite, Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Arachnida: Acari: Phytoseiidae). EDIS. UF/IFAS ENY-359/IN639 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Click Here)
	Rondon, S. I., J. F. Price, O. E. Liburd, R. Francis, and D. J. Cantliffe. 2004. Neoseiulus californicus McGregor: A predatory mite species for controlling twospotted spider mites in strawberries. EDIS. UF/IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 7 pp. (Click Here)
	Liburd, O. E., and E. M. Finn. 2002. The status of blueberry gall midge in the southeastern United States. EDIS.  ENY 825. UF/IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 2 pp. (Click Here)
	Article entitled "Cold Wintery Conditions may have Impacted Thrips Abundance in Florida Blueberries during 2003" (Click Here)
	Article on the "Evaluation of conventional and reduced-risk insecticides for control of flower thrips in blueberries" (Click Here)
	Powerpoint presentation on an Update on Integrated Pest Management in blueberries (Click Here)